


Talk Therapy

by rainbowsandsilverlinings



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eating Disorder (Mentioned), F/F, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post War, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, much fluff, much gay, otherwise canon complient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 05:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16034033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowsandsilverlinings/pseuds/rainbowsandsilverlinings
Summary: "About 15 minutes into the conversation, Ginny’s attention was pulled away from her cuticles by the door opening. A head of blonde hair poked into the room, followed by the spritely figure of the body to which it was attached.'Apologies for my tardiness.' Luna said, 'My father needed me to pick up some cabbage for the moon frogs.'"In which Ginny and Luna use each other to learn to live again.





	Talk Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> Much thanks to Ren (@soaringren on Tumblr) Emily (@askmischiefmanaged on Tumblr) for Beta reading and the endless support

Harry and Ginny got back together a few months after the war ended. Their relationship, restored after its abrupt termination over a year earlier, was an honest effort to return to an earlier, easier time. They spent months of working on overcoming new physical and mental scarring; separately but together.

But how could it work? Their lives, which were previously intertwined by shared experiences and traumas reaching back to her first year at Hogwarts, had split so drastically and completely. Ginny and Harry’s renewed relationship didn’t last very long.

* * *

Sometime after the end of the post-war renewal and termination of Ginny and Harry’s relationship, Ginny found herself in a support group of sorts. Ron had convinced her to go, said that it really helped him.

Ginny had never been one to be forthcoming about her feelings; growing up with seven older brothers didn’t give her much room to experiment with her external emotional expression. As such, this support group did not readily fit inside her comfort zone.

As the group quieted and settled into the circle of chairs in the center of the room, Parvati Patil began to speak.  “I thought we’d start today with a discussion of scars.” Ginny watched her squeeze the hand of Lavender Brown, who was sitting to her right. “Both physical and mental scars are things that we as survivors deal with day to day. Does anyone have anything they want to share?”

There were a lot of familiar faces, mixed in with a few new ones. And, of course, Ron was ever present at her side. It was comforting to have him there, but his glances and elbow jabs were not really making her want to speak up. Rather than making eye contact with the group, Ginny looked for anything else to focus on, eventually settling on her fingernails.

The group around her talked animatedly about lingering after effects of blood quills, dark curses, werewolves and the cruciatus curse, among other things. Ginny listened, but didn’t quite get the point of everyone spilling their guts to the group. As someone who had her first traumatic encounter with the Dark Lord at the age of eleven, Ginny found the conversation superficial and reductive to a broader issue.

About 15 minutes into the conversation, Ginny’s attention was pulled away from her cuticles by the door opening. A head of blonde hair poked into the room, followed by the spritely figure of the body to which it was attached.

“Apologies for my tardiness.” Luna said, “My father needed me to pick up some cabbage for the moon frogs.”

Parvati send Luna a warm smile. “That’s alright, Luna. We were just talking about scars. Do you have anything you’d like to share on that topic?”

Ginny studied Luna as she paused, apparently thinking about her answer. There was a flicker of something in Luna’s eyes that Ginny couldn’t quite place. But in an instant it was gone, replaced again by Luna’s characteristic expression of reverie.

“Not right now, Parvati. But I would love to sit and listen, I’m sure everyone else has a lot to say.”

Ginny frowned. Luna often played the role of the quiet observer, but Ginny had never known her to decline the opportunity to share her thoughts on a subject when offered.

The conversation continued and Ginny couldn’t take her eyes off of Luna. The girl had always been interesting, kind, and beautiful, but there was something new that Ginny was only seeing now. Luna’s kind eyes were sadder now. There was a particular type of grief that Ginny recognised within herself after the events of her first year, but had never really seen in anybody else.

Of course everyone was grieving, grieving the loss of friends, family members, their own childhood. But there was something in Luna that went deeper. It was as though Luna was grieving the loss of  _ herself _ .

While the first quarter of the meeting had dragged on for Ginny, the end of it came quickly once she began studying Luna.

A table of cookies and other snacks had materialized and the group milled around, drinking overly sweet lemonade and holding tiny plates of refreshments.

Dodging Ron’s attempts at conversation— she’d apologise later— Ginny found Luna at the snack table inspecting what appeared to be a chocolate chip cookie.

Without turning to look her direction, Luna spoke, “It’s nice to see you here, Ginny. It’s been a while.”

“Er, yeah. I guess I haven’t been out much.” She hadn’t been out at all, but Luna didn’t need to know that.

Luna smiled, and looked at Ginny for the first time, “You cut your hair. I like it.”

“Yeah, I needed a change I guess.” Ginny’s hand instinctively went to touch the tips of her new short bob.

Luna gave Ginny an understanding smile, before turning back to her cookie. Her fingers hovered over it as though she were considering picking it up, but thought better of it.

“What did you think of the group?” Luna asked, breaking off a small corner of the cookie and holding it in her palm, weighing it.

“Erm, I don’t know that this is really for me. Ron made me come, but I’m not sure how I feel about the ‘group love and support’ thing as a whole. Talking it out is all fine, I guess. I just don’t really like the idea of everyone listening to all my shit.”

Luna glanced up suddenly, “Would you like to maybe talk about it with fewer people around? There’s a coffee shop around the corner.”

Ginny faltered for a moment, stuck looking into huge silver eyes. Blinking, she managed to get out, “S-sure. Let me get my coat.”

* * *

Ginny had never realised how easy Luna was to talk to, despite having known her for seven years. It all came out in a rush once they began talking, neither of them had really talked about the war since May.

They laughed as they remembered stories from the Room of Requirement, and cried while Luna whispered about her struggles with keeping food down since her time at Malfoy Manor.

Ginny walked out of the coffee shop hours later feeling lighter than she had in years.

It became a weekly practice for the two. And then biweekly. They didn’t always talk, sometimes it was enough to sit in companionable silence. It became natural to hold hands while they sipped their coffee. The physical contact was comforting, especially when they were working through something emotional.

* * *

“Earth to Ginny. Earth to Ginevra Molly Weasley. Hello!”

Ginny was jolted from her thoughts by freckled fingers snapping just under her nose. “What on earth could you possibly want, Ronald?” she snapped back, glaring at her brother across the kitchen table.

“Merlin, Gin. I just wanted to know if you wanted to take a study break. I just made some tea and grabbed a tin of biscuits from the cupboard. But if you don’t want the sugar, I’ll keep it all for myself.”

Glancing down at her NEWT study materials and then apologetically back up at Ron, Ginny nodded and pushed back from the table. Ron lead her outside to the porch.

It was a beautiful day outside; the sky was all sun and blue. Ginny tilted her head back to let the sun hit her face a bit, and allowed herself a small smile.

Neither Ron nor Ginny were ones to waste good eating time with conversation, so it wasn’t until the biscuits were gone that the two said more than a few words.

“So I’ll be heading off to group in about an hour. You coming with?” Ron asked her, still swallowing the last bits of biscuit.

“Oh,” Ginny was surprised to hear him bring it up. it had been a couple of weeks since she went with him the first time, and he’d never brought it up since it had become clear that she was no longer interested in joining him. “I, er-, I don’t think so. It’s just not really my thing.”

“But I don’t think you ever really gave it a chance, did you Gin?” Ron leaned forward, earnestly. “It’s supposed to be interactive. You barely said your name the other week.”

“I went, I listened, I didn’t get it,” Ginny snapped, frustrated. “What was I supposed to do? Cough up all my deepest, darkest feelings for acquaintances and strangers?”

Ron blinked at Ginny, apparently unable to come up with a response. “Listen,” Ginny began again, a bit more cordial, “I know it works for you. I’m glad it works for you. But it doesn’t work for me.”

“But you have to talk to  _ someone _ , Ginny. I was talking to mum the other day, and she thinks-”

Ginny cut him off, a bit annoyed, “You and Mum have no business talking about me behind my back. Just because I’m not talking to everyone doesn’t mean I’m not talking to anyone. I appreciate the concern, Ron, really. But it  _ really  _ isn’t necessary.”

Ginny stood quickly, taking her empty tea cup and moving towards the door.

“Well who are you talking to then?” Ron called from behind her

Ginny sighed and turned again. “Luna, if you must know. I saw her at that group you are  _ so  _ fond of, and we’ve been meeting for coffee pretty much every week.”

Ron grinned, smug. “So the group did work, then? I knew I was being a good brother taking you.”

“Oh piss off, Ronald.” Ginny rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide a small smile as she turned to leave again.

* * *

“You should bring her to dinner on Thursday!” Ginny’s Mum told her about two months after the first coffee. “She practically lives down the road from us, and you’ve been spending so much time with her.”

“Oh I’m sure she wouldn’t want to trouble you to make another plate, mum.”

“Nonsense, Ginevera. Everyone comes to my Thursday dinners.”

* * *

And so Luna came.

Ginny was concerned that Luna would be overwhelmed surrounded by so many people and so much food. However, when Ginny asked Luna if she wanted to skip desert so Ginny could walk her home, she shook her head and gave Ginny’s hand a reassuring squeeze under the table.

After dinner, everyone piled into the living room to drink some tea before those who weren’t living at the Burrow left for the night.

Luna and Ginny ended up in the two person couch by the fire, and Ginny found herself leaning her head against Luna’s neck while Luna played with Ginny’s hair with her other hand. As Ginny began to doze off from the warmth and the full stomach, she remembered how nice it was to have someone to lean on as she fell asleep. 

 


End file.
